Ralph Fiennes Shines In 28 Years Later Sequel

After more than two decades of haunting nightmares and redefining the zombie genre, the 28 Days Later saga returns with a vengeance in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Released in January 2026, this latest installment picks up the shattered pieces left by its predecessor and dives even deeper into the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Britain—where survival, grief, and the frailty of humanity collide in unexpected ways.

For those who’ve followed the franchise since Danny Boyle’s original 2002 shocker, the return of familiar faces and the emergence of new, complex characters is a treat. According to Collider, the story centers on Spike (Alfie Williams), a young survivor raised on the isolated island of Lindisfarne. This community, cut off from the infected mainland, has managed to stave off the Rage virus—until tragedy strikes Spike’s family. When his mother Isla (Jodie Comer) falls gravely ill, Spike’s desperate quest for help leads him to the mainland, a place where the dead far outnumber the living and hope is in short supply.

Spike’s journey is as much about confronting the living as it is about evading the infected. Soon after arriving, he seeks out Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a doctor exiled by the islanders and shrouded in grim rumors. The elders warn Spike that Kelson is mad, obsessed with collecting and burning corpses. But as Paste Magazine reports, the reality is far more nuanced—and heartbreaking. Dr. Kelson has constructed the Bone Temple, a towering memorial built from the remains of Rage virus victims. Inspired by the Latin phrase "Memento Mori"—"Remember death. Remember, you must die"—the Bone Temple stands as both a graveyard and a place of remembrance, honoring those lost to the plague and the isolation that followed.

Ralph Fiennes’ performance as Dr. Kelson is nothing short of showstopping, with critics from Paste Magazine and Celebrity News singling out his compassionate, deeply layered portrayal. Kelson is not the monster the villagers fear, but a man seeking meaning amidst devastation. In a pivotal scene, after diagnosing Isla with terminal cancer, Kelson gently euthanizes her—granting her peace and dignity in a world that has forgotten both. Together with Spike, he conducts a solemn funeral rite, culminating in Spike placing his mother’s skull at the summit of the Bone Temple. The act is both macabre and moving, a testament to the film’s ability to find beauty in the bleakest of circumstances.

But Kelson’s wisdom extends beyond death. As Collider notes, he teaches Spike a new Latin phrase: "Memento amori"—"Remember, you must love." In a world ravaged by rage and loss, this lesson becomes the film’s beating heart. It’s Spike’s love for his mother that drives the narrative, and Kelson’s compassion that offers a glimmer of hope. “There were so many dead – infected and non-infected alike. Because they are alike,” Kelson tells Spike, reinforcing the film’s central theme: the infected are not monsters, but victims, stripped of their humanity by a virus born from humanity’s own darkness.

Of course, no 28 Days Later film would be complete without new threats—both human and otherwise. Paste Magazine describes how Spike is soon swept up by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), a brutal, cult-like leader whose gang terrorizes the countryside with ritual violence. Under Sir Jimmy’s rule, the line between human and monster blurs even further, as his followers perpetrate horrors that rival those of the infected. The film’s horror is as much about the cruelty of survivors as it is about the relentless undead, a point driven home by director Nia DaCosta’s unflinching lens.

DaCosta, fresh off her work on Candyman, brings a new sensibility to the franchise, with Danny Boyle returning as producer and promising to direct the forthcoming third installment. According to Paste Magazine, the film wastes no time in showing Spike’s conscription into Sir Jimmy’s gang, where he endures a harrowing initiation and witnesses the depths of human depravity. Yet even in this darkness, moments of humanity shine through—especially when Spike escapes with Kelly (Erin Kellyman), a fellow survivor with her own secrets.

The film’s climax is as explosive as it is tragic. As Mashable reports, Dr. Kelson and Sir Jimmy perish in a fiery confrontation within the Bone Temple itself, their deaths marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter. Spike and Kelly flee the chaos, pursued by a relentless horde of infected, and the story’s focus shifts to a familiar, long-absent face: Jim (Cillian Murphy).

Fans will remember Jim as the original protagonist from 28 Days Later. Though Murphy did not appear in the 2025 sequel, he served as executive producer and now reprises his role in The Bone Temple. In the film’s closing scenes, Jim is revealed to be living in a cozy cottage in Cumbria with his daughter—a stark contrast to the violence outside. When Spike and Kelly arrive at his doorstep, pursued and desperate, Jim’s response is simple and emblematic of the film’s ethos: “Of course,” he says, when his daughter asks if they should help. It’s a moment that bridges past and present, setting the stage for the trilogy’s much-anticipated conclusion.

There are still plenty of loose threads for the next film to tie up. As Mashable points out, Spike’s father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) may be searching for his son, and Cathy (Mirren Mack), a pregnant woman who escaped Sir Jimmy’s clutches, could return. The franchise has long been fascinated by the idea of raising children after the apocalypse, and these storylines promise to deepen that exploration.

More than just a zombie thriller, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a meditation on grief, memory, and the stubborn persistence of love. The Bone Temple itself—equal parts mausoleum and monument—reminds survivors and viewers alike of the importance of honoring the dead, even as the world crumbles. As the credits roll, the message is clear: in a world defined by rage, it is compassion that endures.

For those eager to witness this next chapter, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now streaming on Netflix in the U.S. With Danny Boyle set to direct the trilogy’s final act, fans can only wait—with bated breath and pounding hearts—for the saga’s ultimate reckoning.